If Gan Qiongying hadn't known that Dingzhen was definitely not the kind of person who was greedy for money and pleasure, and that every penny was spent on disaster victims, and that he would only patch up his own socks when they were torn and never buy new ones, she would have suspected that Dingzhen was a miser.
"Don't worry, I don't want your money. I was just asking." Gan Qiongying had been subtly asking Dingzhen these past few days about what Li Hua had told him that day.
The main problem was that Gan Qiongying didn't dare to look up that day. She didn't even get a clear look at what Li Hua looked like. She caught a glimpse of his figure out of the corner of her eye, and then her whole body stiffened as if she had been frozen.
Overwhelmed with longing, Gan Qiongying wished she could crawl into Dingzhen's head and see what Lihua looked like on that day.
Dingzhen still didn't answer, and Gan Qiongying didn't force her. However, when Gan Qiongying said "Take care" and turned to leave in the direction of the carriage, Dingzhen suddenly pulled Gan Qiongying.
Then Gan Qiongying turned around and Dingzhen handed her a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
Gan Qiongying: "...The prince consort also asked you for Buddhist prayer beads that day."
"If I'm not mistaken, this string of prayer beads is exactly the same as the one you gave me before... Just confess, how many people have you fooled with these prayer beads? Are they mass-produced by your Qingshan Temple?"
Gan Qiongying looked up at Dingzhen with a complicated expression, as if she were looking at a sorcerer who traveled the world and made a living by swindling people out of food and drink.
Ding Zhen remained unmoved by the eight winds, and after being exposed, he didn't even flinch. Gan Qiongying said, "Are you going to say next that this thing can block blood evil?"
Dingzhen's clear eyes fixed on Gan Qiongying's face, and she asked, "Do you still want it?"
" want!"
Gan Qiongying snatched it and wrapped it around her wrist, thinking to herself as she did so, "Li Hua exchanged so many silver notes for a string of Buddhist prayer beads, she might as well take it!"
They soon parted ways at the crossroads. Gan Qiongying noticed that Dingzhen was not riding a horse or in a carriage, but walking with the refugees.
I actually admire him very much, not only because he connected Princess Duanrong's past and present lives, which has a bit of a mysterious feel to it, but more importantly because Dingzhen, although he looks young, is truly selfless.
He truly earned Gan Qiongying's respect and deserved to be called a master.
The road to the northwest was not smooth, and it got colder and colder as you went, the snow got heavier and heavier, and the place became increasingly deserted.
Although they were well prepared and neither suffered from cold nor hunger, on the last day they could only travel for two hours at noon.
However, their journey went relatively smoothly. They did not encounter any forces, nor were they pursued by anyone.
Gan Qiongying spent most of her time sleeping in the swaying carriage. When the carriage stopped swaying, she would get out to move around and start eating.
The monks of Jishi Temple would buy things in every town they visited, mainly supplies for the mountain to get through the winter. This was also one of the purposes of their trip to deliver refugees.
Their procession grew longer and longer, not only because they had bought a lot of things, but also because many refugees who wanted to become monks had rejoined them.
Some villages here have been hit by snowstorms, resulting in loss of life. In some towns, officials offer reassurance and help people rebuild their homes.
However, in some towns, no one cares at all, and these people become homeless during the coldest days of winter.
Corpses frozen to death were everywhere on the roadside, visible as soon as you opened the carriage window. Some people, still clinging to life, would rush to the front of the carriage, begging for food.
Some even decided to follow them and prepare to become monks.
The plump, Maitreya-like monk at Jishi Temple never refused to pounce on anyone who was about to knock down a carriage.
Even if the other party is a woman who wants to become a monk, he will pour her a bowl of hot tea, carefully ask her if she has any family, and then take her away.
Gan Qiongying had many feelings along the way. There are still many good people in this world. Although these refugees may not become monks as they said, they can at least get through the winter safely when the world becomes more civilized next year and they can go down the mountain to settle down again.
Along the way, Physician Xiao played a crucial role. Although his medical skills were not considered outstanding within the Imperial Hospital, once he left the capital, he was a legendary physician.
There's no disease he can't treat. After all, people get all sorts of illnesses from eating grains, but in reality, the common ones are just a few.
Gan Lin was the one who was most shocked and changed among them. He used to be an emperor imprisoned in the Golden Palace, and he did not know or feel what human suffering was.
When Gan Lin and Gan Qiongying first saw a person frozen to death by the roadside, they ran out of the car together to help the person up, only to find that the person was dead. Gan Lin was so frightened that she sat down on the ground, her face turning pale, and she didn't recover until evening.
Gan Lin had seen corpses before, but he had never seen... a mother holding her child in her arms, and then the child and mother both freezing to death.
These are just ordinary disaster victims, just ordinary people from Nanzhao.
They did not commit evil, nor did they bully men and women like the powerful and wealthy in the capital. They did not commit any crimes or get convicted. They had no deep-seated love or hatred. They just wanted to live, and they died because they could not live.
All Gan Qiongying and Gan Lin could do was try to help bury the neglected corpses and give some money to those who could still survive in their homes but had no money to get through the winter.
Gan Qiongying had prepared a lot of money to escape, but they had only traveled halfway when most of their money was gone.
Every time the monks at Jishi Temple saw Gan Qiongying giving money to the refugees, they would bow to her. The fat monk would also try to get Gan Qiongying something extra for dinner, which made Gan Qiongying feel a little embarrassed.
In just a few days, she seemed to have gained a little weight. Because she had seen so many refugees along the way, Gan Qiongying was too embarrassed to eat in the carriage. However, she was hungry every day, and her stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit.
"Sister, you must be hungry. Don't stay here with me. I'll distribute rice porridge to them. Go sit down and have a bowl of porridge. I'll get you a thicker one."
Gan Lin had completely lost all imperial majesty. His hands were frozen red like radishes, and he was wrapped in layers of clothing because he couldn't adapt to the cold, looking like a big bear.
Gan Qiongying wasn't much better off, looking like a little bear. The two bears looked at each other, and Gan Qiongying grabbed Gan Lin's hand and breathed on it: "You wore cotton gloves when you went out. Didn't Physician Xiao sew you a pair? If your hands get frostbite, they'll be sore and itchy every year..."
"It's inconvenient to carry that, but I'm fine!" Gan Lin was in very good spirits. Ever since she recovered from being frightened by the corpse in the first few days, she has been actively helping out everywhere she goes after getting up every day.
He even learned to repair carriage wheels in a very short time.
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